If this was taken with any real camera, you’d be able to see where my extra stitches are still in place. They need to be tinked back one by one since I am ripping from the bottom and can’t just give it a nice pull to do it in one swoop. Yes, I am holing the top in place, but this time it is because the picot edge hasn’t been sewn down and curls beyond belief. This is quite an improvment in length over how it used to be, and once I clean up the stitches and finish the edge, this sweater will actually be worn and not just keeping a box warm.

This experience has also inspired me to do a real tutorial of ribbed grafting. This will be a long-ish work in progress, but I will try to show multiple methods on how to graft the ribbing. Pictures and written descriptions will be given, and the pictures will be from a real camera.. not the iPhone. Hopefully I can follow through with that idea and get it up quickly!

Upper left you can see the big picture. You can see the lifeline that has been threaded through the old Girl and the live pink stitches on the needle on the new bottom. You can also see to the right in this picture where I’ve already grafted some of the ribbing together, as well as two cables. Yes, I’ve actually gotten some completed!!

Below, you can see up close what I’ve done and exactly where the stitches were grafted. I know better than to pull out my lifeline immediately after doing something for the first time, especially when there is more cutting to be done! What you can’t see which is further to the right in the close up picture (out of frame) is where I was trying to figure out what I was doing and my gauge is painfully obvious that something (grafting)  is going on.

Now that I know what I am doing, it is a breeze.

The hard stuff: Trying to figure out which row I was on, at the same time as knowing which row to cut on the original, at the same time and knowing which row was being grafted. For instance, when you graft in an 8 row pattern, one row has to be completely removed, because the grafting will replace it. For me, this was row 1. I also wanted to make sure I had enough rows in case I screwed something up, so instead of threading a line in row 2 on the original and cutting row 1, I thread 2 rows below 1 and was going to trace row 1 with my new yarn. At first this was very difficult. I had no idea where I was going, and teal looks like teal, no matter which row it is. This is why my live row is pink. I always knew where I was supposed to go on the bottom.

If I were to do this again, I would have taken out row 1 entirely. I can easily figure out which way to thread the “live” stitches to create both knits and purls if I don’t have anything there, but it was much harder to try to follow where I was supposed to go at first. After an hour and about 15 stitches, I figured it out and can now speed through it in no time.

So, is this a tutorial? …No. Maybe another time when I am not trying to quickly graft between bouts of screaming toddler. But for now, it is a very long statement that it can be done, it just takes a bit of concentration at first.

So… why am I posting this? Well. I have something BIG to post about. Kitchner stitch. Anyone who knits socks top down has probably done this. I’ve done this on a few sweaters. Not a big deal. Unless….. you’re “kitchener-ing” 1×1 rib with a 9 stitch cable in the middle. On an entire sweater. In 2007 I knit the Gatsby Girl Pullover, and it was my first sweater I ever knit. Yep, I’m proud of that fact. There is a problem though. I knit this in July before becoming pregnant. California + July = that photo shoot was done in 2 minutes because I was MELTING!!!! I got pregant before it got cold and thus I wore it once. It was already just shy of being too short. In the pictures, my hands are placed on the bottom holding it so it looked like it fit. I tried. Really. But the fact is I had a baby, and after 17 months there is no denying that my body is different. I’m happy, seriously, but sad that my first sweater has been hidden in a box since it was made. I want to wear it.

Undoing tha cast on and knitting down was not going to work because of the ribbing. My knits and purls would be about a half stitch off. Unraveling the whole thing isn’t going to work because 1. It means I don’t have my first sweater in the technical sense, and 2. …Really?!?! I’m not undoing a whole sweater dammit. So I have taken it upon myself to stat over with the 1.25 balls of yarn I have left and knit for ~3.5 inches, CUT (yes, with scissors. Permanantly.) the bottom of the Girl, and graft the old with the new to make the old longer and wearable. I’ve searched for tutorials on grafting ribbing, and to be honest, the resources are lacking. My post, while long and rambly, will probably not enhance those resources. However I thought this was something that I could really talk about. Something not so run of the mill, and something that might inspire the one or two many readers I have left to do something ballsy with their own knitting.

I’ve already knit the new bottom, and I’ve already threaded my lifeline on the old Girl. I also already cut. Yep. I did it. I didn’t need wine, I didn’t need to cackle like a mad woman, I just found a stitch and sliced. The method I am doing to get this grafting done is to follow what’s already there. I left more on the old Girl than I need and am following old stitcheswith my grafting yarn. On the new bottom, I had knit an extra row in bright pink yarn, and am following where that goes with the grafting yarn. Following and keeping track with the pink is much MUCH easier than trying to figure out where I am with the old yarn. Actually, just making entirely new stitches is easier than following the old yarn, but I’ve already started so that is what I have to go with.

And this is where I leave you.. to want pictures. I’m hoping this goes smoothly, and there WILL be photos showing some of the work. Can’t promise when, but they will be here.

Since my lack of posting, I knit a pari of socks, Venus, and a scarf from some lush alpaca. Venus didn’t turn out quite right. I need to rip part of it out to make it fit. I’ve been trying to work on projects that if I am interupted 5 times a minute, I am not going to lose my place and have no idea how to get back. Simple things. Small things. Which leads me to my current state. I have no idea what to knit now. I’m still getting use to this alien body and learning what will/won’t work. Previously, I could make whatever I wanted, and would rock it. Now….. I have to put more thought into it. Which has turned me into a process knitter instead of a progress knitter. I like to knit lace, but honestly… when in my mom life will I wear a nice lace shawl? Purses and bags are good stash busters, but I have so many bags I store them in a giant bin. I don’t need to add to it. My hip length hair does not fit under hats, so those are out. And growing up in balmy South Florida, I never really got the concept of scarves. I guess I’m stumped and just need to figure out where to go from here with my knitting.

I’m still glancing at my yarns, and pet that angora I have, and lust after a project epiphany, but for now…..

Last night I decided it was time. I really want to knit a pair of socks where I follow a pattern instead of my usual casting on and going with whatever comes to my mind. I pulled out my New Pathways For Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi and started flipping through. I’ve decided to use the Riverbed Master Pattern and make the Rushing Rivulet Socks. In the book, it has all these calculations to get the perfect fitting sock. One part it says to measure the length of your foot by using a ruler and standing against a wall. I had Mr A help me with his tape measure. And because I already knew that my right foot is slightly bigger than my left, I decided to feed my curiosity and have him measure both. 1/2″. My right foot is an entire 1/2″ bigger than my left. That is half a shoe size! When I buy shoes, I have to try them on both feet to see if they are too loose on one foot, too tight on the other, or both. When I buy dance shoes, because fit is so important, I really do have to shell out at least $40 extra and buy two different sized pairs. I had Mr A check his feet, and they were nearly exact!

I think this just may break my of doing 2 at once socks. Maybe I should have a designated L and R sock so that they really can both fit perfectly.

So how common is this? People, measure your feet and tell me the discrepancy! Tell me if you can beat 1/2″!

(oh yeah, I laready cast on the toes and am using Claudia Handpainted in Blue Fields)

So in the meantime…. what to knit???

The thing is, not only am I not yet to the heel in my sock, but I’m not even doing a short row heel….. Why must my stress present it’s self through bad knitting dreams?

I must say… for some reason I am just not thrilled. Maybe the pattern isn’t right for me. Maybe the stretchy cotton isn’t fun enough. Maybe my needle is too small. Maybe I’m under too much stress because we’re about to close on Our First Home. (!!!) But I’m really not enthusiastically working on these socks, and I find myself wandering, thinking about what I can start next.

Of course I’ll be pleased when the socks are finished because, well, let’s face it. I had a sock obsessioon that began long before I even knew how to knit. I guess I’m a little disappointed in myself at the moment. It will pass.

So what does this bag look like?????

Ta-da!!

This is my first ever fair isle! I am so proud of it! Mr A stuck a stapler in it when I was showing it off. It also has a stuffed lion inside. It was the closest thing in reach. The colors in the picture are pretty close to actual. Hooray!

Now that the bag is complete, I’m working on the Toe Up Jaywalkers. I’ve just finished the toes and am about to start the patterned part. I am also knitting them both at once on magic loop.